Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020
| Eurovision Song Contest 2020 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Latvia | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Supernova 2020 | |||
| Selection date(s) | 8 February 2020 | |||
| Selected entrant | Samanta Tīna | |||
| Selected song | "Still Breathing" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | Contest cancelled | |||
| Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Latvia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song Still Breathing written by Samanta Tīna and Aminata Savadogo and performed by Samanta Tīna. The Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) organized the national final Supernova 2020 in order to select the Latvian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest was cancelled.
Background[]
Prior to the 2020 contest, Latvia had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty times since its first entry in 2000.[1] Latvia won the contest once in 2002 with the song "I Wanna" performed by Marie N. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Latvia was able to qualify to compete in the final between 2005 and 2008. Between 2009 and 2014, the nation had failed to qualify to the final for six consecutive years. In the 2015 contest, Latvia managed to qualify to the final with the song "Love Injected" performed by Aminata, which placed 6th in the final, scoring 186 points, giving them their best placing since 2005. In 2019, Latvia was represented by Carousel and the song "That Night", but the country did not qualify for the final and finished 15th in the second semi-final with 50 points.[2]
Before Eurovision[]
Supernova 2020[]
Supernova 2020 was the sixth edition of Supernova, the music competition that selects Latvia's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest.[2]
Competing entries[]
Applications could be submitted to the broadcaster until 20 November 2019.[2] A record number of 126 songs were submitted, and a 18-member jury panel evaluated the submitted entries and shortlisted 28 entries to take place in the auditions, which were released publicly on 9 January 2020. The members of the jury were:[3]
- Agnese Cimuška – Latvian Music Development Society
- Aiga Leitholde – Music Reviewer
- Liena Grīna – Latvian Association of Performers and Producters
- Sabīne Brice – Universal Music Latvia
- Ilze Jansone – Supernova Producer
- Inese Saulāja – Warner Music Latvia
- Kaspars Zaviļeiskis – Music Journalist
- Jānis Žilde – Musician, TVnet Kultura+ Presenter
- Kaspars Mauriņš – Latvijas Radio 2
- Rūdolfs Švēde – Radio Tev
- Emīls Kazakovs – Kurzemes Radio
- – Pieci.lv
- – Radio SWH
- Aleksis Vilciņš – Pieci.lv
- Edgars Bāliņš – Wiwibloggs
- Petri Mannonen – Universal Music Finland and the Baltics
- Martti Vuorinen – Universal Music A&R
- Pēteris Krievkalns – Creative Director for Supernova
A live audition round was conducted with 26 of the 28 shortlisted applicants being invited to attend. Nine entries were ultimately selected for the national final.[4] The selected entries were announced on 16 January 2020.[5][4]
| Live Audition Round | ||
|---|---|---|
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Aivo Oskis | "Dive Deep" | Aivis Ošķis, Bruce Mendes, Ruslans Kuksinovičs |
| Alekss Silvērs | "Again" | Alekss Silvērs, Andis Ansons, Uku Moldau |
| Alise Haijima | "Me Me Song" | Lotars Lodziņš, Jānis Kalve, Artūrs Palkevičs, Valdis Čirksts |
| Annemarija Moiseja | "Undo" | Mārtiņš Gailītis, Jans Vavra, Annemarija Moiseja, Reinis Straume |
| Annna | "Polyester" | Anna Madara Pērkone |
| Antra Stafecka and Atis Ieviņš | "Coming Over" | Atis Ieviņš, Jānis Čubars |
| Audiokvartāls | "Connection" | Ivars Ozoliņš, Arnis Ozoliņš, Juris Ludženieks, Ludvigs Lielauss, Mārtiņš Gailītis, Valters Mirkšs, Reinis Straume |
| Bad Habits | "Sail with You" | Mārtiņš Balodis, Kristaps Grīnbergs, Normans Bārbals, Jānis Līde |
| Driksna | "Stay" | Jānis Driksna, Aidan O'Connor |
| Edgars Kreilis | "Tridymite" | Edgars Kreilis, Ingars Viļums |
| Elizabete Gaile | "For You" | Elizabete Gaile, Edijs Ostapko, Jūlijs Melngailis |
| Katrīna Bindere | "I Will Break Your Heart" | Katrīna Anete Bindere-Čodere, Jānis Driksna, Niklāvs Sekačs |
| Katrīna Dimanta | "Heart Beats" | Katrīna Dimanta, Herberts Blumbergs, Andis Ansons, Jānis Bērziņš |
| Laika Upe | "All My Roads" | Reinis Straume, Kaspars Ansons, Guntis Nurža, Atis Čamanis, Reinis Petrovičs, Jānis Pastars, Edgars Ansons-Tomsons |
| Līva | "Not That Important to You" | Līva Komarovska, Kaspars Ansons, Uku Moldau |
| Madara | "Māras zeme" | Madara Fogelmane |
| Maia | "Make It Real" | Maija Aukšmuksta, Reinis Ašmanis |
| Markus Riva | "Impossible" | Markus Riva, Aminata Savadogo |
| Miks Dukurs | "I'm Falling for You" | Miks Dukurs |
| Rūta Ķergalve | "Izgaismots" | Rūta Ķergalve |
| Sabīne Blūma Blūmane | "Beauty Will Save the World" | Gaitis Lazdāns, Diāna Žukova |
| Samanta Tīna | "Still Breathing" | Samanta Tīna, Aminata Savadogo |
| Seleste | "Like Me" | Reinis Briģis, Seleste Solovjova-Vlasova |
| Shanti | "Voices in My Mind" | Liene Matveja, Santa Dzalbe, Linda Ozola |
| Signe and Jānis | "Inner Light" | Jānis Aizupietis, Signe Aizupiete, Asnāte Tarvide |
| Toms Kalderauskis | "Be My Truth" | Liene Atvara, Toms Kalderauskis, Roberts Memmēns |
Final[]
The final took place on 8 February 2020, hosted by Toms Grēviņš, Ketija Šēnberga and Beta Beidz.[6] The song with the highest number of votes from the public was declared the winner.[7]
During the final, a four-member international and local jury panel also provided commentary and feedback to the artists. The international jury panel consisted of Maarja Merivoo-Parro (editor-in-chief of Estonian Radio 2), Gerūta Griniūtė (Lithuanian cultural presenter and event host) and Petri Mannonen (Universal Music Finland and the Baltics). The local jury consisted of Artis Dvarionas (Radio SWH).[7]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Public Vote | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet | Televote | Total | |||||
| 1 | Seleste | "Like Me" | Reinis Briģis, Seleste Solovjova-Vlasova | 2.43% | 3.31% | 2.82% | 6 |
| 2 | Driksna | "Stay" | Jānis Driksna, Aidan O'Connor | 1.04% | 1.90% | 1.42% | 9 |
| 3 | Katrīna Bindere | "I Will Break Your Heart" | Katrīna Anete Bindere-Čodere, Jānis Driksna, Niklāvs Sekačs | 1.22% | 1.89% | 1.52% | 8 |
| 4 | Edgars Kreilis | "Tridymite" | Edgars Kreilis, Ingars Viļums | 2.74% | 2.11% | 2.46% | 7 |
| 5 | Katrīna Dimanta | "Heart Beats" | Katrīna Dimanta, Herberts Blumbergs, Andis Ansons, Jānis Bērziņš | 22.63% | 34.98% | 28.12% | 2 |
| 6 | Miks Dukurs | "I'm Falling for You" | Miks Dukurs | 7.69% | 6.93% | 7.35% | 4 |
| 7 | Annna | "Polyester" | Anna Madara Pērkone | 19.22% | 13.84% | 16.83% | 3 |
| 8 | Bad Habits | "Sail with You" | Mārtiņš Balodis, Kristaps Grīnbergs, Normans Bārbals, Jānis Līde | 3.79% | 4.40% | 4.06% | 5 |
| 9 | Samanta Tīna | "Still Breathing" | Samanta Tīna, Aminata Savadogo | 39.24% | 30.63% | 35.42% | 1 |
At Eurovision[]
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 28 January 2020, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Latvia was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2020, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[8] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest was cancelled.
In the Eurovision Song Celebration YouTube broadcast in place of the heats, it was revealed that the song would have ended the second semi-final, having been preceded by Bulgaria.[9] This particular slot was, like with the opening slot in the first semi-final (which had been given to Sweden), revealed on Twitter before the live stream.[10]